Pittsfield man pleads not guilty in wife's strangulation

Timothy Gill arrives for his arraignment at Central Berkshire District Court early Tuesday. He is accused of killing his wife, Halena Irene Gill, who was found dead in their Pittsfield apartment last week.

Timothy Gill pleaded not guilty in Central Berkshire District Court on Tuesday to a single count of murder in the strangulation death of his wife, Halena Irene Gill.

PITTSFIELD — When Pittsfield Police found Halena Gill's body on her living room floor on Thursday morning, she was clutching a knife blade in her left hand.

Officers had been trying to contact her for the previous 24 hours because her husband had been found unconscious at the scene of a car accident on Hancock Road.

Timothy Gill, 38, the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, had been transported to Berkshire Medical Center.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reach her, police went to the Madison Avenue apartment and found his wife's body on the living room floor.

Gill, who is facing a charge of murder in connection with her death, apparently killed her after a violent dispute in their Madison Avenue apartment, according to court documents.

When police interviewed Gill at the hospital after he regained consciousness, he allegedly admitted killing his wife during a fight before he got in the car and crashed it.

He told police there was a knife involved in the fight and he told police he held her mouth and nose closed. An autopsy determined the primary cause of death as strangulation. It was not clear exactly when she died.

He pleaded not guilty in Central Berkshire District Court on Tuesday to a single of murder. Judge William Rota ordered him held without bail pending a probable cause hearing scheduled for Jan. 14.

If convicted on the murder charge, Gill faces up to life in prison.

The investigation is being conducted by the Pittsfield Police Department Detective Bureau and Crime Scene Services with assistance from Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney's Office.

The investigation is still ongoing, according to Pittsfield Police Capt. Patrick Barry said, and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective John Gray or Detective John Soules at 413-448-9705.

TALK TO US

If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please
email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by
filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.